Pedersen dominates fifth stage to extend lead at Giro d'Italia

Mads Pedersen continued his domination of sprint finishes at the Giro d'Italia by narrowly winning stage five on Wednesday, his third stage victory of this year’s race which extended the Danish rider's overall lead.

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At the end of the 151km ride from Ceglie Messapica to Matera, Pedersen appeared to struggle with the pace on the climb to the finish, but recovered before starting his dash to the line early, just managing to hold off his challengers.

Italian Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) almost caught the Lidl-Trek man on the line but had to settle for second place, ahead of Britain's Tom Pidcock (Q36.5).

"I wasn't sure at all if I had won," Pedersen said.

"Three wins in five stages and winning with the pink jersey is insane."